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What is mental Health?
The WHO Constitution defines Health as follows : "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. "
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
What you need to know:
The United Nations considers violence against women to be "all acts of violence against women.
Violence against women which results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering
to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or
private life".
Types of violence against women :
- Domestic violence: 27% of women aged between15 and 49 worldwide admit to having already been
victims of violence by their partners (beatings, psychological violence, marital rape, femicide);
- Sexual harassment or assault (rape, unwanted sexual advances, street harassment, cyberstalking):
on average, one in three women around the world report having been a victim;
- Early and forced marriage .
- Female genital mutilation
- Human trafficking (slavery, sexual exploitation).
ANXIETY
More than a commonplace feeling Everyone can feel anxious from time to time. Stress and worry are common responses to given situations.
Anxiety, which is a normal reaction, becomes an illness associated with excessive worry, disproportionate to the feared event, and makes daily life difficult for the person suffering from it.
DEPRESSION
Mental health is a relatively unknown subject and is associated with curses. As far as depression is concerned, it is common to hear or say "I am depressed"
"I feel depressed" without really measuring the depth of these words
PATHOLOGICAL GRIEF
It is characterized by the occurrence of a physical or mental illness in the period of grief. However, it should be noted that grief is not the cause but the trigger for the disease in an individual.
What are the origins and causes ? At the source of these disorders, there is often a solid bond with the deceased, a fusional or even dependent relationship. The death of the other destroys the relational construction of the bereaved. Thus, reconstruction proves to be particularly difficult.
ADDICTION
Addiction is characterized by the repeated inability to control behavior pursued despite the knowledge of its negative consequences. This behavior is aimed at producing pleasure or warding off a feeling of internal discomfort
It includes dependence on illicit substances/drugs or behavioral addictions such as pathological gambling (e.g., betting), kleptomania, bulimia, and sexual addictions.
PREGNANCY AND MENTAL HEALTH
Pregnancy often brings about many physical, hormonal, and psychological changes in a pregnant woman. It is a period of significant vulnerability that can affect the health of the pregnant woman and the child. Therefore, it is essential to offer adequate support to the mother during this period
Causes: Several factors can explain these changes: fatigue, lack of sleep, hormonal changes, and adjustment
to parenthood. However, they usually disappear within two weeks.
Events :
- Prenatal depression: This occurs when the mother has difficulty becoming familiar with the baby she is carrying. She can
then manifest a depression called "dry depression," i.e., without any apparent emotions, or a "more anxious depression"
with more important anxieties. In this second scenario, the upcoming arrival of the baby goes from a joyous event to
an impending disaster. .
- Baby blues : It is common for mothers to feel depressed, have mood swings, or feel out of control in the days
following childbirth. This is perfectly normal. Most women experience this condition, called the baby blues.
BIPOLARITY
What is bipolarity?
Still called a bipolar affective disorder, bipolarity affects about 45 million people worldwide.
Two alternating phases characterize it: manic episodes interspersed with periods of everyday mood.
Manic episodes correspond to a period of elevated mood, irritability, hyperactivity, rapid speech, exaggerated self-esteem, and decreased need for sleep. Depressive episodes, the opposite! Low self-esteem, sad mood, etc. In addition, bipolar disorder may be accompanied by a high degree of comorbidity, i.e., other disorders may be grafted onto the illness (alcoholism, diabetes, dysthyroidism, etc.), putting patients at risk of succumbing to other pathologies. Finally, in the most severe cases, it can lead to suicide.
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Schizophrenia is a mental illness characterized by a distortion of thought, perception, emotion, language, sense of self, and behavior. It alters the essential functions that allow each person to be aware of their identity,
uniqueness, and autonomy. Schizophrenia usually begins in late adolescence or early adulthood. The WHO classifies it as one of the ten most disabling diseases. The life expectancy of those affected is on average ten years less than that of the general population. The diagnosis of this disorder is difficult because it manifests itself through various symptoms, which can be confused with those of depression, severe anxiety disorder, or bipolar disorder.
SUICIDE
What is it?
Suicide is defined as an act by which a person intentionally ends their own life. Suicide often occurs as a
last resort in people with mental health disorders. High rates of suicide are associated with mental illnesses
such as depression and schizophrenia. However, suicide does not always fall within the mental health framework as it may be motivated by religious, political, or socio-cultural factors (Emile DURKHEIM in Le suicide, 1897).
SUPPORT RELATIVES
It is not always easy to live with a loved one who has a mental health problem. Many people feel helpless in this situation and do not know how to help. How can we help the person?
What to do?
Several actions can be taken to change this:
- Talking with the ill person: The ill person may go through several phases in the healing process.
It is important to show the person that you are there for them. Talk with them, be supportive, and if necessary, ask them to
go to professional or to self-help groups.
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